Stay Away
by MaskedAngel18
Summary: An old friend returns to the city for a book release. However, she wants nothing to do with anyone who was her friend. Why is that? What is she afraid of? What was she hiding? All of the avoiding just annoys a certain blonde bartender. He wants answers.
1. Chapter 1

**Yes, I know, new story. At least this time, I actually finished one story of mine before starting a new one. I recently got into this series and, once again, my imagination takes over. I'm just putting this here to get the idea out of my head. The story is still a bit rough, but I have a general idea as to where to take it.**

**Anyway, I'll go ahead and see what you guys think about this first chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Durarara.**

Chapter 1

It was just another day in Ikebukuro. There hadn't been much worth listening to except for the ongoing Slasher attacks. The number of victims had been piling up now.

The excitement of the first Dollars' meeting had already wound down during the last few months.

However, it seemed that something new has, yet again, come up.

It started as a few rumors. Then it grew into a fact that had spread throughout the internet. Especially in a certain chat room.

**Tanaka Taro: Hey! Did you guys about that famous writer who's supposed to come here for a book release?**

**Setton: Yeah.**

**Kanra: Did you know that the author used to live here in Ikebukuro?**

**Tanaka Taro: Really? But I was told she was born in America.**

**Kanra: She was. But she lived a few years in Tokyo when growing up before moving back.**

**Tanaka Taro: Did you know her? Was she a friend?**

**Kanra: LOL. That's a funny joke.**

**Tanaka Taro: ?**

**Setton: It's said that her book is based off of Ikebukuro. That's why she's coming here for the Japanese release.**

**Tanaka Taro: Oh, I guess that's why everyone here seems excited about it. It didn't make sense to me when this was the first time I heard about her.**

**Kanra: Well, she's a silent person who doesn't stick out, so odds are people still won't notice her even when she comes.**

**Tanaka Taro: It sounds like you know her.**

**Kanra: A lot of people know her. However, not many people were actually her friends.**

**Tanaka Taro: Huh?**

**Setton: I have to go.**

**Tanaka Taro: Bye.**

**Kanra: I need to go too. Later!**

After signing out of the chat room, Izaya reclined in his chair.

"Ah yes, an old face is returning. I wonder if she's any different from before." He tilted his head back, thinking for a second.

"Hmm . . . probably not. Which means that nothing exciting will probably happen from her visit. Oh well, it's not like this changes any of my plans. Although, I do wonder if that monster will react the same way he did when she was around." He smirked as an idea formed in his head.

"Then again, maybe I can have some fun after all." He returned his attention to the shogi board on the table.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was late evening in Ikebukuro. People were bustling about, a lot of them in yellow clothing. However, that wasn't the current concerns of a certain sushi chef and debt collector.

"Shizuo! Come eat at Russia Sushi! Russia Sushi is good!"

"Not now Simon. I'm working," said Shizuo as he passed by with Tom.

"Okay. Come by later when you see your friend." Shizuo looked over his shoulder at the black Russian sushi chef.

"What do you mean?" he asked, genuinely curious while looking over his shades.

"Oh? Haven't you heard? Lizzie is coming back to town."

"Lizzie?" Shizuo thought back, trying to remember who Lizzie was. The name suggested that the person was foreign . . .

"Lizzie? Isn't that the name of a girl you knew in middle school?" asked Tom, recognizing the name. That was when Shizuo remembered. Elizabeth Robinson, otherwise known as Lizzie. He remembered her.

"She is? How do you know that, Simon?" he asked.

"Didn't you know? She wrote a book. It got very popular in America and they're going to do a Japanese release. The book release isn't until next week, but I heard she is going to be in town soon. Maybe within the next day or so. If you find her, bring her over to Russia Sushi to catch up!"

Shizuo nodded.

"Will do." With that, he walked off with Tom.

"This is surprising. I heard that a writer from America was coming over for a book release, but I didn't think it would be Lizzie. Small world, isn't it?" said Tom. Shizuo nodded.

"Yeah. I remember that she used to write a lot, but I'm still somewhat surprised that she became successful with it. I thought she was convinced that no one would want to read her work. She even kept most of her writings from me. Do you know what that book is about?" asked Shizuo.

"I think it's about Ikebukuro. That's the reason why so many people are looking forward to it, even though she was technically a foreigner when she lived here."

"Hmm . . ." Tom looked over his shoulder to see Shizuo looking down, as though in thought.

"Want me to see when she gets here? It's been years since you've last seen her," offered Tom. Shizuo shook his head.

"No thanks. I'm bound to see her around town. She'll probably be out in the open to see if anything's changed here. I'll run into her eventually," said Shizuo.

"Okay. Have it your way." With that, they continued to go collect debts from people who would either pay up or face Shizuo's wrath.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The nightlife was now in full swing. Hazel eyes scanned their surroundings, taking in every detail. She was sure that she could see some differences between what she was seeing and what she had kept in her memory. But that hardly mattered. The fact was that the city was still there. It was still huge. And she was back.

However, she was filled with fear and anxiety. She didn't want to be back. She _shouldn't_ be back. She needed to be far, far, far, _far _away from here. And then even further than that.

Damn that agent of hers! The first chance she got, she needed to strangle him. She had told him explicitly that she didn't want to be there for the book release. Yes, the book was based on this city, and yes, she did live here before, but that didn't mean that she wanted to be back. She couldn't be back.

But that persistent bastard had already told the publishers that she would be there. As much as she wasn't prone to violent tendencies, she really wanted to throttle him.

However, that was going to have to wait. What was important now was that she crushed down this growing sense of nostalgia and avoided everyone. Period.

As soon as that thought left her head, she heard a noise that was trying to overpower her with nostalgia. It was a braying horse and tires screeching.

Great. She needed to get out of here _now_.

She turned away from the direction of the sound and hurried her way down the street. She prayed that, since she'd never published a book down here, she wouldn't be recognized. So far, she seemed to have some luck with that.

Then she looked to her right to see a vending machine flying up into the air from behind a building. And there was only one person that came to mind with that kind of strength.

Fuck! Why him of all people? She picked up her pace. Where the hell was that hotel now?

As she started to reach a well-lit area, she started hearing someone calling out about sushi. Out of curiosity, she turned her head. CRAP! It was Simon! That guy knew how to sneak up on people like some kind of Russian ninja!

She quickly turned away and walked at a brisk pace, hoping that he wouldn't see her. She was hoping that all of these years away would make her less recognizable to others, but she couldn't count on that with Simon.

"Hey! Miss!" She had absolutely no luck tonight. She got spotted by Simon of all people. But she didn't give up. She just continued walking down the street and around the corner. She didn't hear any signs of being followed. He probably thought she was just a random person to hand a flier to.

That was what she was telling herself.

Meanwhile, Simon was staring at where the woman disappeared around the corner.

"Hmm . . . maybe she didn't recognize me?" he pondered.

While Simon was thinking that he saw an old friend, the woman walked down the streets and through alleys, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She couldn't afford any more close encounters.

She took a turn into another empty alleyway. As soon as she got back on the street, she was going to ask someone for directions to her hotel. It was late, and she knew that it wasn't safe to be out and about at night for anyone.

That was when things got really bad that night.

She stopped as she saw a couple of people, men from the looks of it, come around the corner and block off the end of the alleyway for her. She looked over her shoulder as she heard footsteps getting closer from behind.

Great, a few people in yellow clothing had trapped her in an alleyway.

"Well now. Look what we have here. What's a woman like you doing out alone at night like this?" asked one of the men. She didn't say anything. She just glared at them all with her cold hazel eyes.

"What's the matter? Can't talk? Are you scared of us?" asked the man condescendingly. Her glare intensified.

"Oh, trying to scare us now? Well, I'll be sure to show you you're place here. After all, you're being mugged here," he laughed.

"_Oh really?"_ asked a raspy voice. Everyone froze as a pair of yellow eyes made themselves known to the group of people. The woman was frozen in fear, unable to speak or move.

Everything that happened afterwards involved a series of blood-curdling screams, followed by the sound of a braying horse as it came closer to the scene, its rider wondering what was going on.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

_I am not an exciting person. To be honest, I don't think anyone would be interested in reading my life story. I'm just too dull of a person to lead a very exciting life._

_After all, I'm not some traumatized teen who got pregnant or some shit. I'm not some rebel or thinks that the world is against her and that she should fight against the corporations, government, or some other thing that I really couldn't care less about._

_I'm not impulsive. I'm not short-tempered and get into fights all the time. I don't go out of my way to cause fights (like a certain bastard I know). Hell, I'm not even talkative. Period._

_And I'm sure as hell not part of some shitty vampire story that ends in an orgy. Not only do I not find that entertaining, I don't find that being remotely real, even for a vampire story! I get that vampires aren't real, but really? The overflow of vampire stories has actually killed my interest in the genre for the time being. _

_Anyway, I'm not writing this to talk about me. Like I said, I'm not an interesting person. _I _would be bored if I had to listen to myself talk about my life._

_No. This story is actually more about the people around me and how they affected my life. Yeah, I'm still in the story, but more as a silent observer. After all, the most interesting part about life has got to be the people around you. How they interact with each other, how they react to certain situations. And I mean in real life, not in some crappy MTV show that claims to be reality._

_Anyway, I'm getting off topic._

_To put it simply, this story is about everything I've witnessed in Ikebukuro. Majority of it is from the sidelines, but some of my experiences are first-hand._

_I'm still a boring person. But my life and the people in it had never been more exciting than when I stayed in Ikebukuro._

**And that's the first chapter. Kinda short, but I'm planning on making future chapters longer. This was just the best place to stop in my opinion.**

**As for how this story will go, this is going to switch between what is happening in the present and the past as defined by excerpts of the book the character wrote. In case you couldn't tell, the italicized part was from the character's book. More excerpts will be shown each time the story takes a turn to what happened in the past.**

**As for the plot, there will be mentions of what happens in the anime, such as the Slasher, and it might come up later on, but this plot isn't really in canon.**

**Anyway, I think that's everything I needed to mention this time around. Be sure to review and tell me what you think, as reviews will help me improve the story where it needs it most. They also help with motivation.**

**Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! I'll let you know now that frequent updates aren't my strong point, so another update this fast won't be common. I just figured that you guys would want more than one chapter to judge this story by.**

**In any case, go ahead and read the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DRRR. Lizzie is my OC.**

Chapter 2

_I suppose I should give you guys some background on me, just so that you can have some idea as to where I'm coming from._

_First of all, I was born in America. However, I only stayed there for about 11 years. Even then, I was always moving around. My dad worked for some company, and he was often told that he had to relocate to several different places. Since it was just me and him in the picture, I had to come with him._

_That was basically it. I didn't bother with connecting with any kids my age, since I would only move shortly afterwards. Besides, I never really talked or did anything to stand out, so I was invisible to the world. I did nothing but watch as other kids played with each other._

_Before you say anything, I still don't consider myself as traumatized. After all, I had never had anyone try to beat me up or screw with me mentally just to break me down. I was just anti-social._

_That lasted until we moved to Japan. He said that it was going to be the last time we moved. I wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. I just simply nodded and went along with it. After all, it was only a matter of time before I would be in a different place, surrounded by strangers, right?_

_However, my experience in Japan was different. I was no longer an invisible person, but that wasn't really a good thing. Due to the fact that I was foreign, I stuck out like a sore thumb. I soon became one of the favorite targets for bullies._

_Now don't get me wrong. Being bullied sucked. But as detached as I already was to everyone, their words just didn't stick for the most part. I was just living day by day, taking whatever was thrown at me. I thought if I just did nothing like the boring person I am, they would just leave me alone and find someone who would actually react to their words._

_I was wrong. It just made them more violent towards me. It was a reaction I wasn't expecting, to say the least. They were actually starting to irritate me. Unfortunately, I wasn't used to using my voice, so my thoughts were never spoken out loud. This only seemed to have encouraged them._

_This continued for a long time, and for over a year I kept telling myself that it wasn't a big deal. I would soon be moving away, so why let them get to me? However, my dad never said anything about moving after that._

_The next thing I knew, I was still in Ikebukuro and in middle school. That was when things actually started to get interesting . . ._

It was lunchtime during the first day of classes. Everything seemed normal in a certain middle school.

"Hey! You're actually still going to school here?" Yes, everything seemed normal, including the group of kids that surrounded a girl with long, dark brown hair, hazel almond-shaped eyes, pale skin, and oval-shaped glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose. She was wearing the usual school uniform, and held a journal to her chest in one hand and a bento in the other. Her half-lidded eyes watched her peers with a look of disinterest.

She was aware of the pattern now. Whenever none of the teachers were paying attention, a group of kids would immediately pick her out and surround her. Then they would launch insult after insult at her, hoping to break her demeanor.

She would never talk. She would just stand there and take it, hoping that she would have a chance to eat her food before the next class.

"Doesn't your own country want you back? Or do they consider you a waste of space as well?" sneered one of the girls. Were they almost done yet? She was hungry.

"I don't think we have her attention," said one of the boys.

"You're right," said another girl. This one forcibly yanked the bento out of her hand. She was irritated at them now, but she could get food later.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" demanded another boy, who was mad that they weren't getting her to cry yet. That was when another hand grabbed her journal. She reacted then. Her eyes widened and she kept a firm grip on her journal.

She wasn't about to give it up to them! They could take her food, but she wasn't going to let them take her journal!

"Give it!" demanded the girl who grabbed it, continuing the tug-of-war game for the journal.

"N . . ." She wanted to shout at them so much now for trying to take something so precious. But like always, her voice just wouldn't work for her.

"Hey!" At the sound of a new voice, everyone turned their attention to a boy with brown hair. He looked very annoyed for some reason.

"Why are you all picking on her? What did she do?" he asked. The girl, noticing the slack on the bully's grip, yanked her notebook closer to her, securing it.

"What do you mean? She's not from here!"

"She doesn't belong here!" The girl just watched the boy as he heard the bullies' excuses. She was kind of waiting for him to team up with them . . .

"You're serious? What the hell kind of reason is that?" he shouted, losing his temper almost instantly. She watched with wide eyes as he picked up a desk with one hand and chucked it at the group.

Having enough common sense to get away from danger, the girl ducked away before the desk became embedded in the wall. She stared at the desk in shock before returning her attention to the boy. No one got hit by the desk, but the boy who threw it collapsed to the ground. It looked like he had somehow hurt himself.

_I couldn't believe what I saw. The kid just picked up a desk with one hand and chucked it at the bullies! The sight was unreal. Something that you would only see in a manga. But it happened right in front of me. I saw it with my own eyes._

_And the kid got hurt for it. I guessed that he didn't think his actions through; otherwise he wouldn't have been sent to the hospital afterwards. I remember wondering if he was okay._

_It wasn't until later that I realized something about that incident. It was the first time someone other than my dad had stood up for me._

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A blank ceiling stared back at her. She stared back, thinking about her current situation.

The woman had long, dark brown hair that went to her waist. Her almond-shaped hazel eyes focused on nothing but the ceiling above her as she lay on top of her bed, wearing a red t-shirt and jeans. Her glasses sat on the bridge of her nose.

She knew that coming here was a bad idea, but now that she was actually here, it seemed even worse. She couldn't take a step out of her hotel without worrying about who she would run into. Avoiding people seemed impossible now since she had no luck and everyone was more than likely always on the move.

She really hated that agent of hers now.

She looked up as she heard a knock on her door. She got off the bed and walked over to the door. A look through the peephole confirmed that her visitor was one of the hotel staff. Sighing, she let her in.

"Um, I'm here with your lunch, Ms. Robinson," said the woman dressed in a hotel uniform.

"Thank you," she said with a smile. Her food was placed on the table in her room.

"If you don't mind me asking," said the hotel worker nervously. Lizzie shook her head.

"I don't mind. Go ahead."

"I get if you're nervous about the Slasher going around, but that usually happens at night. So why have you been holing yourself up here for the past two days? Don't you want to see how much this place changed since you've last been here?" she asked. It was no secret that Elizabeth Robinson used to live in Ikebukuro. However, ever since the incident that happened on her first night before going to the hotel her luggage was sent to, she had stayed in her room for the most part. She did try coming out once during the next day, but that only lasted about two hours before she returned to her room and stayed there.

"Well . . ." She wasn't sure what to use as an excuse. She didn't have one prepared.

"I guess . . . you can say I was waiting to get over the jetlag before I can really go around town," she said. Even though she did get jetlag, it wasn't the truth. But it was enough to pacify the woman.

"Oh. Okay. Then I hope you feel better soon," she said. She left the room, leaving Lizzie to her thoughts.

She couldn't afford to go out. Not when she still had a certain problem that remained unresolved.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It was midafternoon when another client had royally pissed off Shizuo. The poor man was now flying through the air. His impact with a building down the block was followed by a bent up road sign.

"Shizuo, you didn't have to be so rough on him," said Tom as the two of them left.

"Sorry." He was somewhat calmer now, but he was still mad at all the people who would try to get out of paying their debts.

"Oh well. How about you go take a break? You've been working hard." Shizuo just shrugged and walked off. He wasn't really having a good day. He needed to blow off some steam somehow.

He ended up taking a walk to South Ikebukuro Park. Not for any particular reason. It was just where his feet took him. Of course, the moment someone gave him a dirty look, he sent the guy flying with one punch. And thus, his mood got worse.

It was at that moment that Celty found him. She walked up to him as he kept muttering "Kill, kill, kill" under his breath. She typed in her PDA and showed her message to him.

**Having a bad day?** Shizuo scoffed as he lit up another cigarette.

"There just seems to be a few more annoying bastards out than usual." Celty thought for a moment before typing in her PDA again.

**Well, look on the bright side.** Shizuo raised an eyebrow at her.

"And what bright side would that be?" he asked, curious.

**Lizzie's coming back.** Shizuo blinked as he read the message. Celty then saw that he was starting to relax.

"Yeah, I heard about that. She published a book. Do you know if she's here yet?" he asked. Celty shrugged before she typed in her PDA again.

**I haven't heard anything yet, but the book release is in 4 days. She's bound to show up anytime now. She might even seek us out. Just wait.**

Shizuo said nothing. He only nodded. Suddenly, Celty remembered something that she needed to tell him.

**I just remembered, there's something dangerous in the town, so you need to be careful. If you see Lizzie first, be sure to warn her about this as well.**

He frowned.

"Are you talking about the Slasher? Don't worry. I can take care of myself, and Lizzie is a careful person. Besides, she'll probably hear about the Slasher on her way in, anyway."

**It's not just the Slasher.**

"Huh?"

**Something else has recently entered the town. Something not human. I stumbled upon some victims from the Yellow Scarves from this thing.**

"So something supernatural is slicing people up as well?" he asked.

**Not just that. It eats them. What I saw was the remains of their bodies riddled with bite marks. I don't know what it is, but it hasn't left yet. I fear that it will attack again soon.**

Shizuo nodded.

"I see. OK, I get it. I'll watch out for man-eating monsters. If it tries to kill me, I'll kick its ass."

Celty shook her "head" and fumbled with her PDA, trying to tell him not to fight it.

"I'll see ya later," he said walking off. Celty hung her head in defeat, but left him be. She knew that he was strong. But this thing was evasive. She could sense its presence even now.

Whenever she would try to find it, it would disappear for hours at a time. It was starting to annoy her, but she was also worried. In the past two days, she only saw the one attack. She didn't know its eating pattern, but it was bound to get hungry soon.

Meanwhile, Shizuo had left the park and was walking down the street. He couldn't help but think about Celty's warning. Not because he was worried about himself. All he needed to do was kick its ass and kill it and the problem was solved.

The problem was Lizzie. He didn't know when she was supposed to be in town and he didn't know how long this thing Celty mentioned would be around. Lizzie was one of the few people not afraid of him or his strength. Granted, she hardly talked and would just write in her journal, but she was still his friend. And she also wasn't much for fighting the last time he saw her.

She probably wouldn't be able to fight off either the Slasher or this new monster. But, she was a careful person. She would almost never walk around at night. So it was possible that this would never be an issue.

Pushing that issue to the side, he wondered if she had changed much over the years. Probably not, but it would be nice to see her again.

Then, just as he rounded a corner, his mood took a nose dive.

"Hey there, Shizu-chan."

"I-ZA-YAAAA!"

**I couldn't help but throw in that last part. After all, the fights between Shizuo and Izaya are one of the most entertaining parts of the show. XD I just hope that the canon characters aren't too OOC if they are.  
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**Anyway, that's all for now. I don't have much to say this time around. Please leave a review and let me know what you think of the story so far.**

**Later!**


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